Summer is fast approaching which means sun, surf and sand for many, but for music fiends, it also means it’s time to start planning your summer concert schedule. It’s time to start putting in for some well-earned PTO and plan your journey. Some are near, some are far, some are heavy and some are totally chill. So take a look and make your picks. Pack the cooler, get your road trip playlist ready and get out there and see some live music and make memories to last a lifetime. This is our list of the top 10 music festivals of summer 2024.
And if you already have tickets booked, check out our list of the best travel must haves on Amazon to order before you leave home.
Early in the season music festivals
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
April 25-May 5
Fair Grounds Race Course, 1751 Gentilly Boulevard, New Orleans
Nojazzfest.com
The easier answer for this festival is who IS NOT playing. The Rolling Stones, Foo Fighters, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Earth, Wind & Fire, Vampire Weekend, Anderson.Paak, Greta Van Fleet, Steel Pulse, Big Freedia, 90s southern rap kingpins Juvenile and Mannie Fresh, Tower of Power, Robert Cray and like a zillion other acts spanning the rock/soul/jazz/zydeco/funk spectrum.
Rockville
May 9-12
Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, Florida
www.welcometorockville.com
Looking for something on the heavier side? Dozens of top rock and metal acts and underground favorites will be here, including Motley Crue, Foo Fighters, Judas Priest, Falling In Reverse, Slipknot, Evanescence, The Offspring, Disturbed, Mudvayne and more.
Boston Calling
May 24-26
Harvard Athletic Complex, Cambridge, Mass.
www.Bostoncalling.com
Memorial Day in Boston means one thing: the biggest acts on the planet hitting the iconic Harvard Stadium for three mind-blowing days. This year’s edition once again lives up to the festival’s growing global hype, with Ed Sheeran, The Killers, Megan Thee Stallion, Phish’s Trey Anastasio, Khruangbin, country/folk star Tyler Childers, neo-soul star Leon Bridges and actress/popstar Renee Rapp, among others. Side note: don’t miss the return of Boston underground superstars Bad Rabbits.
Governor’s Ball
June 7-9
Flushing Meadows Corona Park, New York City
https://www.governorsballmusicfestival.com
Post Malone, SZA, The Killers and 21 Savage headline this year’s edition. One of NYC’s biggest outdoor parties of the year.
Bonaroo
June 13-16
Manchester, Tennessee
https://www.bonnaroo.com
Originally heavy on jam bands, Bonaroo has become one of the nation’s biggest and most eclectic festivals. This year’s four-day lineup is a mish-mash of indie pop (Maggie Rogers, Pretty Lights, Renee Rapp), rock (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cage the Elephant, The Beaches, Interpol, Milky Chance), hip-hop (Joey Bada$$, Megan Thee Stallion), punk pop (Taking Back Sunday), psych-rock (Khruangbin), pop (Post Malone, Sean Paul, Carly Rae Jepsen), and even metal (GWAR).
Mid summer music festivals
Levitate Music & Arts Festival
July 5-7
Marshfield Fairgrounds, Marshfield, Mass.
Levitatemusicfestival.com
Now in it’s 11th year, this summer’s edition of Levitate features another exciting and eclectic lineup headlined by the reformed Sublime. The legendary 90s ska/punk band recently reformed and made global headlines when Jakob Nowell, son of the band’s late singer/founder Bradley Nowell, debuted as its new frontman. Also on the three-day bill are Lake Street Dive, L.A.-via-Philly indie/folk band Mt. Joy, Australian star Tash Sultana, Dirty Heads, G. Love & Special Sauce and breakout country/folk singer-songwriter Oliver Anthony.
Pitchfork Music Festival
July 19-21
Union Park, Chicago
https://pitchforkmusicfestival.com
One of the top curated festivals in the country, this year features De La Soul, Alanis Morissette, Grandmaster Flash, Black Pumas, Carly Rae Jepsen and Brittany Howard.
Newport Folk Festival
July 26-28
Fort Adams, Newport, R.I.
www.newportfolk.org
Black Pumas, Guster, Killer Mike, Orville Peck and Samm Henshaw are on the bill, with more headliners TBD.
Broccoli City Festival
July 27-28
Audi Field, Washington, D.C.
www.bcfestival.com
Megan Thee Stallion, Gunna, Party Next Door, Lil Yachty and more headline this party in the nation’s capital.
Lollapalooza
Aug. 1-4
Grant Park, Chicago
www.lollapalooza.com
One of the longest-running festivals in the U.S., the Perry Farrell-founded Lollapalooza has a long history of hosting the biggest names in music, and this year is no different, with Tyler the Creator, SZA, Blink 182, Skrillex, Metro Boomin, Hozier and Future X on the docket.
For more ideas on things to do this summer read our list of the events worth traveling for.